Buzz builds for Galway Races and your first €10 bet is free
Excitement builds for the Galway Races: Conor Orr on Smithscorner, winning the 2020 Tote Handicap Steeplechase. Photo: Healy Racing
The Tote Galway Plate is the race everybody wants to win, boosted this year by Tote.ie's €10 Welcome Offer.
First run back in 1869, hundreds of runners and riders have tried their hand at etching their name into Galway Races Summer Festival folklore after Absentee was crowned the maiden winner 151 years ago.
Former jockey Brendan Powell had the distinction of riding the first British-trained winner of the Galway Plate in 1998.
“It is of course a wonderful memory to have, winning such a legendary race at a meeting that is loved by so many,” Brendan recalled.
The horse was Amlah, and the owner, Salvo Giannini, spoke with a rich Welsh accent: “When we finally got back to the hotel that night, the staff were only serving the second sitting at 11pm. Salvo was in his element and it was a long and marvellous evening.”
National Hunt jockey Danny Mullins came close to winning this prized event last year on Cabaret Queen, coming third: “It’s a big race on the calendar, no question, and certainly one I’d like to win soon enough. I was only 16 when I rode a treble here, and that buzz is just so amazing. Galway is an amazing experience for a rider — the stand is full, the infield is packed, and that last furlong is like riding into a stadium.”
Summing up the Tote Galway Plate, Danny said: “It is nothing short of electric.” For racecourse commentator Jerry Hannon, the Tote Galway Plate is an undertaking he has accomplished three times — and counting.
“The Tote Galway Plate is the highlight of the summer — it is a race everybody looks forward to. We have fingers and toes crossed that this important event goes as smoothly as it should, and that people can once again experience this wonderful part of the Irish racing season.”
Heading west for the annual Galway Races Summer Festival 2021, the nation’s heart will beat a little faster in sheer excitement that this most cherished of sporting institutions is back with a bang.
The Tote Galway Plate, on Wednesday, July 28, offers a day of superb jump racing and the chance to witness one of the world’s most historic races. Wednesday marks the third day of the Summer Festival, and which gets underway at 4.35pm with eight excellent races on the card.
The Galway Festival is undoubtedly the highpoint of the summer season with seven great days and nights of competitive racing action running into the busy August Bank holiday weekend.
The seven-day extravaganza is a major social occasion and attracts the biggest crowds of the year from far and wide. The Tote Galway Plate race has been running at Ballybrit since 1869 with more heritage and prestige than any other race run at Galway Racecourse.
Such is its fame, the Tote Galway Plate stands tall as one of the most sought after prizes on the Irish National Hunt calendar, and is celebrated far and wide, proudly on a par with legendary races like the Epsom Derby, the Melbourne Cup, the Prix de l’Arc and the Breeders Cup.
The longstanding Tote Galway Plate is run over a distance of 2 miles 6 furlongs 111 yds with a round of fourteen fences to jump in total. The last two fences, situated three furlongs from the finish, are the closest fences together of any racecourse in the world.
Fantastic enough that the Tote Galway Plate will no doubt once again thrill the multitudes present at Ballybrit as well a the millions watching on television, Tote are making an extra offer nobody will refuse.
Tote’s €10 Welcome Offer allows punters place their first €10 bet — and if it loses you’ll get your money back in cash. The maximum refund is €10, with qualifying bet the first bet added to the betslip.
Totewin will be the qualifying bet when a Totewin and a Toteplace bet are struck at the same time. And then, to really add excitement to a flutter, Tote ensures that all bets placed directly online will enhance your dividend by 10%.
Tote Ireland operates Ireland's only pool betting system for horse racing.
In addition, Tote operates betting services at all race meetings at all 26 racecourses across the country. Founded by the Totalisator Act of 1929, the Tote's first bets were taken at Fairyhouse, Easter 1930.
Importantly, all profits generated by Tote Ireland are returned to horse racing for the improvement of the industry. Tote also sponsors a number of races throughout the country — with the highlight of its annual race sponsorship the Tote Galway Plate.
As well as operating a cash betting service at racecourses, Tote also distributes Irish racing pools internationally, meaning other Tote's and partners from around the world bet into Irish Tote pools.
